1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the production and use of extracellular matrix compositions and more specifically to proteins obtained by culturing cells under hypoxic conditions on a surface in a suitable growth medium.
2. Background Information
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex structural entity surrounding and supporting cells that are found in vivo within mammalian tissues. The ECM is often referred to as the connective tissue. The ECM is primarily composed of three major classes of biomolecules including structural proteins such as collagens and elastins, specialized proteins such as fibrillins, fibronectins, and laminins, and proteoglycans.
Growth of ECM compositions in vitro and their use in a variety of therapeutic and medical applications have been described in the art. One therapeutic application of such ECM compositions includes treatment and repair of soft tissue and skin defects such as wrinkles and scars.
The repair or augmentation of soft tissue defects caused by defects, such as, acne, surgical scarring or aging has proven to be very difficult. A number of materials have been used to correct soft tissue defects with varying degrees of success, however, no material has been completely safe and effective. For example, silicon causes a variety of physiological and clinical problems including long term side effects, such as nodules, recurring cellulitis and skin ulcers.
Collagen compositions have also been used as an injectable material for soft tissue augmentation. Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% of the total protein content. There are currently 28 types of collagen described in literature (see, e.g., Tables 1 and 2 infra, for a detailed listing). However, over 90% of the collagen in the body are Collagens I, II, III, and IV.
Different collagen materials have been used for treatment of soft tissue defects, such as reconstituted injectable bovine collagen, crosslinked collagen, or other xenogeneic collagens. However, several problems exist with such collagens. A common problem includes the complexity and high cost of producing the implant materials to remove potentially immunogenic substances to avoid allergic reactions in the subject. Additionally, treatments using such collagens have not proven long lasting.
Other materials have also been described that may be used for soft tissue repair or augmentation, such as, biocompatible ceramic particles in aqueous gels (U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,382), thermoplastic and/or thermosetting materials (U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,202), and lactic acid based polymer blends (U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,312). Additionally, use of naturally secreted ECM compositions have also been described (U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,284). However, such materials have all proven to have limitations.
Accordingly, new materials are needed for soft tissue repair and augmentation that overcome the deficiencies of prior materials. The need exists to provide a safe, injectable, long lasting, bioabsorbable, soft tissue repair and augmentation material.
In vitro cultured ECM compositions can additionally be used to treat damaged tissue, such as, damaged cardiac muscle and related tissue. The compositions are useful as implants or biological coatings on implantable devices, such as, stents; vascular prosthesis to promote vascularization in organs, such as the heart and related tissue; and devices useful in hernia repair, pelvic floor repair, wound repair, and rotator cuff repair, such as patches and the like.
Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease (CAD), ischaemic heart disease, and atherosclerotic heart disease, is characterized by a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Coronary heart disease is usually caused by a condition called atherosclerosis, which occurs when fatty material and plaque builds up on the walls of arteries causing the arteries to narrow. As the coronary arteries narrow, blood flow to the heart can slow down or stop, causing chest pain (stable angina), shortness of breath, heart attack, and other symptoms.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women. According to the American Heart Association, more than 15 million people have some form of the condition. While the symptoms and signs of coronary heart disease are evident in the advanced state of the disease, most individuals with coronary heart disease show no evidence of disease for decades as the disease progresses before a sudden heart attack occurs. The disease is the most common cause of sudden death, and is also the most common reason for death of men and women over 20 years of age. According to present trends in the United States, half of healthy 40-year-old males will develop CHD in the future, as well as one in three healthy 40-year-old women.
Current methods for improving blood flow in a diseased or otherwise damaged heart involve invasive surgical techniques, such as, coronary by-pass surgery, angioplasty, and endarterectomy. Such procedures naturally involve high-degrees of inherent risk during and after surgery, and often only provide a temporary remedy to cardiac ischemia. Accordingly, new treatment options are required to increase the success of currently available techniques for treating CHD and related symptoms.
In vitro cultured ECM compositions can additionally be used to repair and/or regenerate damaged cells or tissue, such as chondral or osteochondral cells. Osteochondral tissue is any tissue that relates to or contains bone or cartilage. The compositions of the present invention are useful for treatment of osteochondral defects, such as degenerative connective tissue diseases, such as rheumatoid and/or osteoarthritis as well as defects in patients who have cartilage defects due to trauma.
Current attempts at repairing osteochondral defects include implantation of human chondrocytes in biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel grafts in attempts to improve the possibilities to restore articular cartilage lesions. Additionally, the technique of chondrocyte culture in alginate beads or a matrix including polysulphated alginate has been described to generate a hyaline-like cartilagineous tissue. However, attempts at repairing enchondral lesions of articular cartilage by implantation of human autologous chondrocytes have had limited success. Accordingly, new treatment options are required to increase the success of currently available techniques for treating ostechondral defects.
In vitro cultured ECM compositions are also useful in tissue culture systems for generation of engineered tissue implants. The field of tissue engineering involves the use of cell culture technology to generate new biological tissues or repair damaged tissues. Fueled in part, by the stem cell revolution, tissue engineering technology offers the promise of tissue regeneration and replacement following trauma or treatment of degenerative diseases. It can also be used in the context of cosmetic procedures.
Tissue engineering techniques can be used to generate both autologous and heterologous tissue or cells using a variety of cell types and culture techniques. In creating an autologous implant, donor tissue may be harvested and dissociated into individual cells, and subsequently attached and cultured on a substrate to be implanted at the desired site of the functioning tissue. Many isolated cell types can be expanded in vitro using cell culture techniques, however, anchorage dependent cells require specific environments, often including the presence of a three-dimensional scaffold, to act as a template for growth.
Current tissue engineering technology provide generally, artificial implants. Successful cell transplantation therapy depends on the development of suitable substrates for both in vitro and in vivo tissue culture. Thus the development of an ECM that contains only natural materials and that is suitable for implantation would have more of the characteristics of the endogenous tissue. Accordingly, generation of natural ECM material is an ongoing challenge in the field of tissue engineering.